Because of You
by SVUCSIWTRDOOLluver
Summary: Song fic, using the duet between Reba McEntire and Kelly Clarkson, they are just perfect together, their voices rock! Well, I do not own CSI: Miami, and this fic has Calleigh/Dad angst, and DuCaine at the end. R&R! Oh, and I redid it, so enjoy!


Song fic about Calleigh and her dad, Calleigh thinking about her dad and his drinking,

Song: Because Of You by Kelly Clarkson, duet with Reba McEntire

Note: Bold words are Kelly and Reba, italicized words are Reba, and underlined italicized words are Kelly,

--

Calleigh was humming along, working a bunch of bullets from a shooting, and had just finished up and was planning to go home and relax with a book and some music when her cell phone trilled. She sighed and looked at the caller ID, and closed her eyes briefly when she saw that it was her father. She flipped it open and said curtly,

"Duquesne."

"Hey, baby girl," Her father slurred, and Calleigh could tell that he was drunk.

"Hey Dad, what's up?"

"Oh, nuthin', just callin' up my baby girl, ya know?"

"Yeah, I know Dad. Can you put the bartender on?"

"Sure thang honey, I always knew you, had a soft spot fur him," Another voice said,

"Hey Calleigh,"

"Hey Burt, is he really bad?"

"Yeah, he's pretty, well, he's really stoned."

"All right, I'm on my way,"

"Sorry Calleigh,"

"Don't worry about it; it's not your fault. Thanks,"

"No problem,"

She hung up and boxed up her evidence before grabbing her stuff and dashing out, heading to her father's favorite bar. As she drove, she thought about how her father was throwing his life away, as he could be a star lawyer, but his drinking kept him from being that. She pulled up praying to God that she wouldn't make the same mistakes that her father had made and was making.

_I will not make,_

_the same mistakes that you did,_

_I will not let myself,_

_cause my heart so much misery,_

_I will not break,_

_the way you did you fell so hard,_

_I've learned the hard way,_

_to never let it get that far,_

She strode in, ignoring all the cat calls and nonsense she got from almost all the guys in there. What she didn't notice was three men sitting quietly at the end of the bar, watching her. They watched as she collected herself, put a smile on her face and walked over to her father.

"Hey, baby gurl, you here to take me home?"

"Yeah, dad, I'm your personal chauffer, remember?"

"Oh yeaaaaah, I remember now!"

Her father staggered to the side, but Calleigh quickly caught him. He smiled at her, and she smiled back. She supported his weight as they slowly made their way out, and Calleigh ignored all the calls made out to her, giving her indecent propositions. Then, her father stumbled and almost fell, and Calleigh thought,

"_Boy is __he__ drunk! I don't think I've __ever__ seen him __this__ drunk!"_

She supported him again and the three men kept watching as she led her father out of the bar, with him singing something that no one understood. Calleigh helped him get in her Hummer and drove him to his house, trying to tune out his singing and the nonsense that he kept babbling. It was breaking her heart to see him breaking his own heart by drinking all the time.

They got to his house and she helped him stumble up the stairs and shuddered when he fell hard onto the floor. She hoisted him up and dragged him to the bed and he woke up and began fighting her. She was braced for this, so she took it with out complaint as she laid him on his bed and he swung out with his fist and smacked her in the face, hard.

"Oh, baby gurl, I'm so sorree, I didn't, realize, it was you," He slurred, his eyes wide at what he was just done. She nodded with understanding and said,

"Just get better, dad, I'll see you later,"

**Because of you I never stray too far from the sidewalk,**

**because of you I learned to play on the safe side so I don't get hurt,**

_because of you I find it hard to trust,_

_not only me but everyone around me_**,**

**because of you,**

**I am afraid,**

The next morning, Calleigh was walking along the sidewalk of Miami and realized that she always kept to the side farthest away from the road, and only had to wonder for a moment why when she remembered that her father, of someone else who was drunk could come barreling down the road and she wanted to be far enough away.

She shuddered at the thought, and kept walking with a purpose. That day at work, she was doing an interrogation, and hesitated when an opportunity was given to her to push a suspect's buttons. She decided to play on the safe side so she wouldn't get hurt, and when she did, she immediately berated herself and hated herself for being so scared of the outside world all because of her drunk father.

Later that afternoon, Eric and Ryan both told her to trust them on their instincts, and she had a really, really hard time doing that. She fought the urge to curl up in a ball and not trust anyone, not tell anyone anything. She nodded stiffly, telling them that she trusted them, but in her mind she questioned that nod severely, asking herself whether it was wise to trust someone who could let you down big time. Like her father.

She realized that she was a complete coward. Exactly like her father. The only difference was that he hid his cowardice in the bottle, and she refused to do that.

_I lose my way,_

_and it's not too long_

**before you, point it out**_,_

_I cannot cry,_

_because I know that weakness,_

**and in your eyes**_,_

_I'm forced to fake,_

_a smile,_

_a laugh,_

_everyday of my life,_

_my heart can't possible break,_

_when it wasn't even whole to start with__,_

That night, it was like a repeat of the previous night. Only this time, her father insisted on staying at the bar just a little bit longer. Calleigh was so frustrated that she was ready to cry, but her father suddenly slurred,

"Never let nobody see you cry, baby girl, demotes ya and makes you look bad, it's just a weakness, if ya ask me, and don't loose your way, baby gurl, it just makes ya look bad too."

She nodded, and swallowed back the tears. Unknowing to her, the three men were there again, only joined by a fourth one this time. They watched her and her father, with their expressions concerned. Calleigh just ordered a glass of water, and sipped it slowly while her father rambled on and on to one of his buddies. Finally, she stood up and said,

"Dad, let's go home,"

"Ya wanna go home?" Her father slurred, and she replied calmly,

"Yeah, dad, can we go?"

"Well, sure baby gurl, lez go!" He said boisterously, and followed her out.

A guy reached out and went to touch Calleigh, but she grabbed his arm and flipped him onto the ground while the others howled in laughter.

"The guy must be a newbie," The bartender snorted.

That's because every guy in that room knew how hard Calleigh fought, as all of them had tried to touch her more than once and therefore had learned their lessons and just talked about her, never tried anything.

Calleigh grabbed her dad and led him out, still keeping the threatening tears at bay. It was the same old routine, she dropped him off at his house and he took a swing at her, and then apologized profusely.

**Because of you I never stray too far from the sidewalk,**

**because of you I learned to play on the safe side so I don't get hurt,**

_because of you I find it hard to trust,_

_not only me but everyone around me_**,**

**because of you,**

**I am afraid,**

The next night was the same thing, except when Calleigh strode into the bar, her father was gone. She looked around confused, and the bartender called,

"Calleigh, your dad left with some men earlier,"

"Can you describe them for me?" Calleigh asked, sitting at the bar and sipping a glass of water.

"Well, one was kinda tall, and he was Hispanic, and really short, dark hair, almost black, and the next one was a little taller than you, he was white, with short brown hair, but kinda long, you know? The third guy was almost balding, balding, they call it, and was a pudgy kinda face, and had the air of a cop around him. The fourth guy was a little taller than the first guy, and he had kinda short red hair, and he was white, looked kinda Irish to me. You know 'em?"

"Yeah, I work with them. The first one is Eric Delko, the second one is Ryan Wolfe, the third guy is Frank Tripp, and the fourth guy is my boss, Horatio Caine." Calleigh sighed, and then got to her feet.

She waved at the bartender as she walked out. She looked around nervously as she crossed the parking lot, and with disgust she realized that she was afraid of crossing a danged parking lot.

"What is becoming of the cop Calleigh?" She muttered as she got to the car.

_I watched you die_

_I heard you cry every night in your sleep,_

_I was so young_

_you should've known better than to lean on me,_

_you never thought_

_of anyone else_

_you just saw your pain,_

_and now I cry in the middle of the night,_

_for that same, damn thing,_

She got to her car and climbed in, shut the doors and locked them. Suddenly, it hit her, all these images flashing through her mind of her father, horrifying pictures, some not real, but most of them completely real and very graphic.

She remembered hearing him cry out in his sleep whenever he was really drunk, because he had those horrible dreams of his.

She remembered being so young, yet being the one her father leaned on and, more times than one, was his punching bag when she was little.

She remembered thinking that he never thought of anyone but himself when he was drunk, and sometimes even when he wasn't drunk, which was sad, but true.

She remembered letting him lean on her all the time, being his support, always being there for him, never letting him down.

She remembered thinking that he never saw the real her through his drunken stupor, that he never would see the real her unless he managed to turn his life around and be sober.

The images kept flashing through her unwilling mind, and finally she gathered herself together enough to walk away from her car and call a cab, as she was in no condition to drive, what with all the information still flashing in her brain.

The driver pulled up to her house and she paid him and almost ran up to her bedroom. She ignored the calls and messages and turned her phone off. She just needed to be alone, no, she needed a friend, no, she wanted to be alone.

As she drifted off into sleep, she kept thinking that she was watching her father die, day by day.

_Because of you I never stray too far from the sidewalk,_

_because of you I learned to play on the safe side so I don't get hurt,_

_because of you I find it hard to trust,_

_not only me but everyone around me,_

**because of you,**

**I am afraid**_,_

She had a horrific dream that night, with her father and everything else, and she was hearing this horrible sound. She felt someone shaking her shoulders, and realized that the horrible sound she was hearing was her own screams and sobs. She snapped her eyes open and sat bolt upright, hugging her knees to her chest and wrapping her arms protectively around herself instinctively.

"Calleigh," She heard a rough voice say, and looked up to see the concerned face of Horatio Caine. She swallowed hard before saying, her voice steady,

"What's up, Horatio?"

"Well, for starters you didn't answer you phone, your cell is off, your car was left at the bar parking lot, can I go on?" He replied, his tone serious, and she tried to smile and said,

"I, I just needed to be alone."

"And now?" He inquired, and she looked hard at him, reading his eyes perfectly.

"Now I'd like some company," She said softly, and he smiled and said,

"You've got some, but, can you tell me what's upsetting you so much?"

"You won't think I'm weak if I break down, will you?" She asked childishly, and he looked at her in amazement and said,

"Never, Calleigh, everyone is allowed their, breakdowns"

"Including you?"

"Yes, even me,"

"Good," She replied softly, and told Horatio the whole story.

When she finished, she felt his hand on her shoulder and that did it. The floodgates opened and she started sobbing. The next thing she knew she was enveloped in Horatio's strong arms and he was cradling her, soothing her.

_Because of you,_

_ohhhhhh__,_

_because of you,_

_ohhhhhh,_

Calleigh drifted off to sleep and when she woke up, she was lying on her side and felt arms wrapped around her. She opened her eyes to be staring into Horatio's face. She was startled, but then last night's events came flooding back at her and she sighed, content and snuggled back next to him, though she knew later they would go back to being partners, being coworkers. Being just friends.

Horatio woke to the small movement next to him and looked down to see Calleigh snuggle up next to him. He tightened his grip on her and thought,

"Oh, what the hell, now or never, Caine,"

He pressed his lips to the top of her head and she froze in shock. She looked up at him and his eyes phrased the question that he couldn't say. She smiled and said softly,

"Thanks for last night,"

"No problem," He said quietly back, and then Calleigh stretched up and kissed his cheek.

But, he turned his head at that exact moment and her lips brushed his. He smiled tentatively at her, and she grinned back before settling down next to him and murmuring,

"I'm going back to sleep. Night, Handsome,"

"Good morning, Beautiful," He corrected with a chuckle and fell back asleep himself, both of them perfectly happy and content.

Calleigh didn't have to worry about her father hurting her or making her scared again. Now that she had Horatio, her fears had dissolved and somehow she knew that the four men had 'convinced' her father to get help, to quit drinking, and for that she would be eternally grateful.

And it was all because of him.

--

The End.

--

Hope you liked it, just something I thought of, was listening to my iPod when I was watching a scene between Calleigh and her dad, and thought that this song was perfect for them! And, of course, it had to have DuCaine in it. PLEASE REVIEW, you'd be my best friend if you did!!! Thanks for reading!!!


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